Poultry holder



July s, 1938. c, SUMMERS 2,122,731

POULTRY HOLDER Filed Sept. 22, 1936 46 INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS Patented July 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to the art of administering medicine and the application of leg bands to poultry, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved poultry holder.

An object of my invention is to provide a holder which will support the fowl with its head, wings, and legs in such a manner as to facilitate vaccinating, blood testing, worming, and applying leg bands.

A further object is to provide a novel poultry holder designed to accommodate fowls of different sizes and in which the holder is so constructed and arranged as to utilize the weight of the fowl for holding purposes.

Another object is to provide a holder in which a large number of units may be incorporated and in which the device is designed to be collapsed into a compact structure for transportation and handling purposes.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a front View;

Fig. 3 is an end view;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; v

Fig. 6 is a sectional view along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a view taken from the position indicated by line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

In the embodiment selected toillustrate my invention, I make use of a supporting frame I0 mounted upon legs I2. Upon the frame I0 I mount a plurality of fowl holders I4. These holders are conically shaped and include a large opening I6 and a smaller opening I8.

Frame I6 is constructed of angle iron and includes two side reaches 20 and 22 and two end reaches 24. Upon the .reach 20 I mount a U-shaped support 26 having the lower ends of its legs 28 hingedly connected at 30 with the reach 20. I prefer to construct the U-shaped support 26 of angle iron and connect the hinges 36 with the legs 28 and the reach 20 by welding. Fig. 4 illustrates the normal adjustment of the parts for poultry holding purposes. At this time, 50 the holders I4 lie within bends 32 in a metallic strap 34 having its ends welded at 36 to the bight 38 of the support 26. Each holder I4 is provided with a bolt 40 which extends through aligned openings in its respective bend 32 and the flange 55 42 of the bight 38 for the reception of a wing nut 44 having threaded relation with the bolt for securing the holder I4 firmly in position.

To hold the support 26 in the position of Fig. 4, I provide links 46 which are pivotally connected at 48 to the reaches 24 and have their opposite ends slotted at '56 for the reception of pins 52 carried by the arms 28. The slotted ends of the links 46 may be disconnected from the pins 52 to permit the support 26 to be folded to the dotted line position of Fig. 4. Each holder I4 10 comprises sheet metal and is provided with a longitudinal slot 54 for receiving one wing of the fowl to be worked upon.

Referring to Fig. 4, the large end of the holder is bent about a reinforcing wire ring 56 while the 15 smaller end is bent about a similar reinforcing ring 58. These rings lend support to the slotted holder. In Figs. 4 and 5, the small end of the holder may be cut away at 60 to provide accommodation for a hinge 62 pivotally connected with 20 the ring 58. The hinge may be welded to the reach 22. The ring may be provided with a straight reach coextensive with the width of the hinge for pivoting purposes.

While I have illustrated the holders I4 as being 25 hingedly connected at their rear ends with the reach 22, such hinges may be dispensed with and the ends of the holders permitted to lie loosely on the reach 22 since the bends 32 and the bolts 40 provide good holding support for the holders. 30 With the nuts 44 removed and the links 46 disconnected from the pins 52, the support 26 may be folded down upon the frame III while the holders I4 may be dropped down to the dotted line illustration of Fig. 4. 35

In operation, the fowl is inserted head first into the holder I4 with its back down. One wing of the fowl is passed through the slot 54 in its respective holder I4 with the under side of the wing up for blood testing purposes. The head of 4,0 the fowl projects slightly beyond the smaller end of the holder for worming purposes, while the legs are free at the large end of the holder for vaccinating and leg banding. With the holders I4 arranged in the angular position of Fig. 4, the weight of the bird is sufficient to hold the fowl in a secure position within the holder.

In Fig. 3, I illustrate the legs I2 as being interconnected in pairs by diagonal supports 64. Each pair of legs I2 is foldable as a unit underneath the frame I0, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

2. Fig. 4 illustrates the pivotal connection for the leg units. These legs are formed of angle iron, and each pair is spaced by a separator 66 having a threaded bore in each end for the realigned openings in the reaches 20 @d 22 ahd the legs I2. In Fig. 5, the upper end of the leg 12 is shaped at 10 to have abutting relation with the flange 12 of the reach 22. This end is cut away at 14 to permit; free pivotal movement of the leg in one direction, but the abutting relation at 10 prevents the leg from swinging beyond the' position. illustrated. Thus, the frame ll! will'be firmly supported on the legs with the latter adjusted according to Fig. 2.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily ception of a bolt 68. These bolts pass through adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

A poultry holde 1 comprising a frame, a conically-shaped openended tube having its small end pivotlly connected with one side of said frame,- a bracket pivotally connected with the opposite side of the frame and including means foisupporting the largenend of;;the tube for holding the latter at an angle to theframe, and means for securing the bracket in a holding position, said bracket being fol dable upon the frame and said tube being foldable upon said bracket.

CHERRY SUMMERS. 

